On October the 28th in 1995, Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, hosted a video shoot for Nona Gaye’s cover of her father Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler).” Prince, then publicly known as the unpronounceable Love Symbol, opened his complex for the session amid his post-Gold Experience period of intimate “Love 4 One Another” events and ongoing creative control efforts. The track served as the title cut on Motown’s tribute album Inner City Blues: The Music of Marvin Gaye, released that month. Nona’s version was produced by Meshell Ndegeocello, with guitar and co-production from Wendy Melvoin and keyboards from Lisa Coleman. Prince did not play on the recording but facilitated the visual shoot for footage used in the VH1 special Love 4 One Another, which aired January 27, 1996. Nona and Prince already shared a history. She had appeared in The Beautiful Experience and collaborated with him on “Love Sign” (from 1-800-NEW-FUNK), whose video Ice Cube directed, casting her as an assassin who falls for his DJ character. She had also worked on an unreleased Marvin cover of “(Got 2) Give It Up.” Hosting her for this tribute felt like a natural extension. The soundstage held cameras, roughly twenty hanging guitars (prepared for another shoot), and a small invited crowd. Crews filmed crowd shots for 20–30 minutes. A young Dave Chappelle delivered stand-up. Then Nona performed, cameras rolling as she delivered the still-sharp 1971 protest lyrics over Ndegeocello’s deep groove. In the finished special, the footage sits inside a loose story of a woman named Nikki (Corrie Dana) who travels from Texas seeking Prince and ultimately accepts friendship; Nona’s segment includes a brief interaction with him before the song. Afterward, Prince and the New Power Generation—Michael B. on drums, Sonny T. on bass, Tommy Barbarella and Morris Hayes on keyboards—played a short set: “Return of the Bump Squad,” “The Jam,” “The Ride,” and “Bambi.” “The Ride” and “The Jam” later appeared in the VH1 special. Eyewitnesses noted Prince in a good mood and the close proximity of the stage. The night mixed video production, after-hours jam, and self-determination. The day linked Marvin’s original cry against systemic neglect to Nona’s inheritance and Prince’s symbol-era insistence on ownership. The resulting special remains a capsule of that autumn at Paisley Park: cameras under stage lights, Nona channeling her father, Chappelle holding the room, and the Symbol-led band locking into tight funk. #PrinceOnThisDay #Prince #PaisleyPark #NonaGaye #InnerCityBlues #MarvinGaye #Love4OneAnother #VH1 #TheSymbol #NewPowerGeneration #GoldExperience #1995 #SoulMusic #Funk #MinneapolisSound #DaveChappelle

Prince’s iconic Yellow Cloud guitar sold for $635,000 on March 12, 2026, at Christie’s as part of the Jim Irsay Collection auction. A YouTube Short from the Beatles Rewind channel (uploaded around September 20, 2026) captures the lively bidding on this fluorescent yellow custom instrument during the live “Hall of Fame” evening sale at Christie’s in New York. The short shows the guitar’s distinctive shape, gold hardware, and cloud-inspired fret markers as the auctioneer drives the price rapidly upward from an $80,000 opening, with the hammer falling at $500,000 before buyer’s premium brought the total to $635,000. The Guitar’s Design and History Prince’s Cloud guitars are among the most recognizable instruments in rock history. The original design, inspired in part by a Sardonyx bass and built by Minneapolis luthier Dave Rusan (of Knut Koupee) starting in 1985, featured a sweeping, cloud-like body, elongated upper horn with a scroll, and a playful, baroque aesthetic that matched Prince’s stage presence during the Purple Rain era and beyond. The first Cloud went to the Smithsonian; others have sold at auction for high six- and seven-figure sums. This particular Yellow Cloud was custom-built by Washington-state luthier Andy Beech in early 1993 (serial PN 16644 / PM16644). It is believed to be Beech’s first Cloud for Prince—a prototype of sorts—and was used on the 1993 Act II European tour, including the Wembley finale and an after-show at Bagley’s in London, where Prince reportedly tossed it to the stage and broke the neck. Prince’s longtime guitar tech Zeke Clark repaired it, installed a Floyd Rose tremolo (the first on one of Prince’s Clouds), refinished the body, and moved the output jack. It features EMG pickups (humbucker at the bridge, single-coil at the neck), gold hardware, a locking nut, and Prince’s Love Symbol as position markers. Christie’s experts noted its surprisingly heavy feel for its compact size and confirmed its stage history through control layout and headstock details Provenance and the March 12, 2026 Sale: Indianapolis Colts owner and noted music memorabilia collector Jim Irsay bought the guitar at a Heritage Auctions sale in June 2016 for $137,500. It became part of what Guitar World called “the greatest guitar collection on Earth,” which also included instruments linked to Jerry Garcia, Kurt Cobain, David Gilmour, the Beatles, and many others. After Irsay’s death in 2025, Christie’s offered the collection in a series of high-profile March 2026 sales in New York that ultimately realized roughly $94 million and set multiple records (including the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction). The Yellow Cloud (lot 33 in the March 12 Hall of Fame sale) was estimated at $100,000–$150,000 and far exceeded expectations. The YouTube Short shows the fast-paced bidding, with the auctioneer engaging phone bidders before selling it at a $500,000 hammer price (total $635,000 with premium). It was accompanied by picks, a hard case, and a display cabinet, plus authentication materials from Zeke Clark. Why It Matters: Stage-played Yellow Clouds are relatively scarce compared with later Schecter production models or other Cloud variants. This one bridges Prince’s mid-career touring peak and his shift toward the Love Symbol era. The March 12, 2026 sale underscores the enduring market for Prince’s instruments more than a decade after his death and the continued strength of high-end music memorabilia, especially pieces with documented stage and recording use. The short invites viewers to debate Prince’s ranking among all-time guitarists and share favorite solos—an apt coda for an instrument that was as much visual signature as musical tool.